


Derek Hale, Music Major

by charimiel



Series: Sterek Week June 23-29 [3]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: 25th june, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Human, Day 3, M/M, Sterek Week, cello!stiles, clarinet!derek, college music department
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-25
Updated: 2014-06-25
Packaged: 2018-02-06 05:51:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1846795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charimiel/pseuds/charimiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>- and all around terrifying principal clarinet.<br/>...</p>
<p>In which Stiles plays the Cello, Derek is a grumpy but amazing Clarinet player, and the whole music department is probably taking bets on when they'll get together already.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Derek Hale, Music Major

“Stiles” a deep voice says from behind him, and he jumps. Maybe squeaks slightly, but he’d never admit it. He turns around, coming face to face with- oh shit.

“Derek.” He says, trying not to stare, or drool, or anything else of a similar level of embarrassment. “Fancy seeing you here.”

“What are you doing” Derek says, short and to the point.

“I was just…” he trails off.

“You were listening to me practicing.” Derek says, not bothering to phrase it as a question. Dammit, Derek already knows. Of course he does, this isn’t the first time he’s found Stiles outside his practice room.

“Yes? Maybe? You’re just really good? And none of the musicians ever want me to listen to them practice and this sounds even weirder than it is and I’ve explained this all to you before anyway and you’re glaring so I’m going to just go…” Stiles says, turning his back on Derek against all his instincts and starting to walk off.

“Stiles” Derek calls after him, but Stiles just walks faster, and leaves Derek standing in the corridor, clarinet clutched in his hand.

….

The thing is, Stiles technically has as much right as Derek to be in the music corridors. He’s not a music major like Derek, but he’s on a partial music scholarship at the college, and they’re both in the orchestra. But it’s generally accepted practice that musicians don’t listen to other musicians practice unless implicitly invited to, because no one likes to be heard when they’re practicing. Practicing on an instrument isn’t all beautiful music, and more often than not hours at a time are spent on a single section, until you just want to set the music on fire.

Stiles does use the rooms to practice sometimes, has to keep up his cello or else he’ll lose out on the scholarship, but it’s a fact that Derek Hale, principal clarinet, music major with a minor in physics, spends more time in the practice rooms than any other student. He basically lives there, has claimed one of the 20 practice rooms as his own (none of the other students are stupid enough to use it on the rare occasions he isn’t already in there).

When Stiles had first met Derek, he’d just arrived in time for orchestra and had heard Derek warming up in the corner of the hall they use to practice. The way he played, full of warmth and emotion, contrasted so noticeably with his stoic expression, and generally annoyed demeanour, which Stiles soon came to be familiar with.

One of the flutes had noticed him staring that first time and had pulled him away from where he was stood gaping.

“Don’t stare, he hates it when you stare” they’d muttered. Stiles had let loose a barrage of questions (including but not limited to ‘who’s that?’ ‘what colour even are those eyes’ and ‘why are clarinet players always hot’). The flautist had stared, but had answered all of Stiles’s questions as honestly as they could.

So that was how Stiles first came across Derek Hale.

Of course, Derek didn’t actually notice him until a few weeks later when he’d first caught him sitting outside his practice room.

The thing is, Stiles loves the clarinet. He can’t play it, has never had a single lesson, but he loves the way it sounds, the tone, the range from the low rich tones to the high clear notes. His mom used to play; she’d inspired him to take up music as a kid. He wanted to learn the clarinet for her before she died, but after he just couldn’t do it. The clarinet was her instrument, and it felt somehow sacred. He didn’t’ want to have to listen to himself ruin the way he remembered it with his terrible beginner level playing.

But essentially, Stiles loves hearing the clarinet. It reminds him of his mother, of persuading her to play for him, of staring at her instrument with wonder.

And Derek’s playing… well, it’s perfect. Just unique enough to seem real and personal, just enough emotion to convey exactly what the piece means.

So when Stiles is walking through the corridor, pulling his cello case along behind him (and thank god for wheeled cases), and he hears Derek’s playing, he freezes. Listens to the sound, and can’t quite make himself carry on walking like he knows he should.

He doesn’t know how long he stands there, just listening, but when the door is thrown open and Derek scowls at him he jumps.

“What do you want.” Derek growls, and Stiles bites his lip.

“I was just listening. Sorry. You’re really good by the way. I mean, of course you are, you already know that, but yeah. Like amazing kinda good.” Stiles babbles, and Derek scowls, and turns around to head back into the practice room, shutting the door behind him. It opens again a moment later; when Stiles has just started to walk away, face stained red.

“What’s your name.” Derek demands, not really a question, and Stiles considers not telling him, he really doesn’t need to get into trouble. But Derek will find out anyway, there aren’t that many cellos after all.

“Stiles. Stiles Stilinski” he says, nodding, fiddling with the strap on his music bag for something to do with his hands.

Derek nods, then heads back into the room, a clear dismissal.

….

So Stiles ends up with a bit of a Derek problem after that. He spends far too much time sitting outside Derek’s room and listening to him play, and every time Derek catches him Stiles ends up uncontrollably babbling, blushing, and running away. It’s pretty embarrassing.

Scott teases him about his crush, because Scott’s a dick, but he does bring Stiles alcohol and give him a free pass to get flat out drunk and emotional, because Stiles is going through a difficult time here okay. He’s maybe slightly in love with the biggest asshole in the whole music department, who hates his guts and thinks he’s a creepy stalker. Which he isn’t, by the way. It’s not like he’s memorised when Derek practices or anything, he just happens to walk past when he’s practicing a lot.

Derek starts staring at him in orchestra, and Stiles is a little scared he might be planning to murder Stiles and dump his body in a dumpster somewhere.

He doesn’t have much time to worry about the possibility of imminent death however, because he has exams coming up rapidly, and suddenly finds himself with no spare time. He’s turned into a college stereotype, studying in the library at 2am night after night with up to 4 empty coffee cups sat on the table in front of him.

He’s in the library one evening, when Derek walks past him, heading into the science section. Stiles doesn’t pay much attention, because he’s busy, and Derek’s probably getting some book for his physics course.

He does pay attention when the chair across from him slides out and Derek sits down opposite, putting a large book down on the table.

“Okay if I sit here?” Derek asks (actually asks, like an actual question with punctuation and everything, what the hell) and Stiles stares. Looks around the library at all the empty tables, back at Derek’s who’s starting to look uncomfortable, and nods.

They work in silence, and when Stiles decides to call it a night (or technically a morning, it’s nearly 3am) and packs up his books and notes, Derek looks right at him and smiles slightly.

Stiles stands awkwardly for a moment, before muttering a goodbye and turning around.

“Stiles.” Derek says, and Stiles spins around to look back at him.

“Yeah?”

“If you want to listen to me practice, you can just come in the room.” Derek says, avoiding Stiles eyes and looking down at his book like- holy fuck, is Derek shy?

“Yeah, sure. Thanks.” Stiles says, rubbing at the back of his neck awkwardly. He hears Scott’s voice in the back of his head, reassuring him ‘if he hasn’t already killed you, he probably never will’, and screws up his courage.

“Did you want to get coffee sometime? Or a meal or something?” he says, rushing over the words. Derek looks up from the book and stares right at him, then grins. It’s incredibly disorientating.

“Yeah.” Derek says, and Stiles grins back. He’s pretty sure now that Derek doesn’t actually hate him. Maybe the complete opposite in fact. He’s going to have bragging rights over that flautist for the rest of his time here.

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo... I'm so very sorry..  
> I'm terrible at High School/College au's so I knew I'd have to do something a bit different... and well, this thing sort of happened.  
> (Just as an additional comment, I don't actually know if all clarinettists are attractive, but all the ones I've met sure are holy god I feel so out of place in my section)  
> I just really love playing the clarinet, and I was at an open day today and found myself wondering about practice rooms and orchestras, and this thing was born  
> For day 3 of sterek week.  
> [these fics/drabbles are also posted on my tumblr over here! Come say hi guys](http://charimiel.tumblr.com)  
> 


End file.
